Record Label: Joyful Noise Recordings
Genre: Ambient/Drone
Band Link: www.cjboyd.com

* COOZER PICK *

I’m a busy, on-the-go kind of guy. I got no time to sit back and daydream like some of you moon-eyed bumps-on-a-log. So when I saw this 45-minute CD contains only three songs, I feared for my attention span.

Surprisingly, these ambient epics are extremely accessible. At least, as accessible as lengthily held notes and melodies drawn out to a drone can be. Seemingly without effort, the first 15-minute track drew me in and covered me in a warm, cozy blanket of dreaminess. My pulse slowed, my pupils dilated, and I found myself drifting out into a calm, mental sea. When the first semblance of rhythm appears at the 8-minute mark, it doesn’t even feel necessary.

The second track is a nice mix of sweet and moody and aptly titled “Pensive Pez.” The last track, a 20-minute tune called “We Know Time” (they sure do!), has a faster tempo, which took me out of my lulling daydreams but carefully put me back into another zone.

Ambient, like jazz, dub, doom rock, and other party killers, is not for everyone. It requires some patience and a willingness to let go of some front-brain cognitive ability. But the mark of a good artist is how quickly it can willingly lead you into its soundscape and how strange it feels when you leave it.

Bottom Line: Dreamy.
Notable Tracks: Everytime I Don The Ski Mask
Overall Rating: